Grizzly Peak on Sunday morning
When the last snow storm finished on Sunday, we had 9" of wet snow on the ground! It was so beautiful to see all the trees and ridges blanketed in snow! Most of it has melted already, except in the shady areas. This brought our February precipitation to 2.67". We are still below average, at 32.64" to date. This past week has been cloudy and gray, but we only got a few sprinkles of rain. More rain and snow is on the way. Hopefully this coming week will be a wet one!
On Sunday morning I walked around for several hours, blissed-out on the snowy landscape! Everything was stunningly beautiful and dramatic! Around 10:00 am, the mist cleared, the temperature rose, and the snow quickly started dropping off the trees. By mid-afternoon, the trees had dropped all their snow-load, the road had melted out, and the sun was shining! The snow lingered on the highest ridges, and was beautiful to see in the late afternoon light!
Snow "Blossoms" Ridge-top Trees
Pine Siskins - Carduelis pinus
The birds did just fine in the snow! Their beauty was even more striking against the snowy backdrop. This group of Pine Siskins has found my bird feeding station, and are daily visitors now! It's so lovely to see them in the tree tops first thing in the morning!
Steller's Jay - Cyanocitta stelleri
This Steller's Jay was all puffed up in the thin sunlight of early morning. I watched it preen and fluff for several minutes! It seemed to me that it was trying to dry off, after several days of snowy weather! Steller's Jays are monomorphic. To us, both the male and female look the same in the field. However, birds see a much wider range of color than humans, including ultra-violet light! In some species of birds, the males have bright ultra-violet markings that attract females! I haven't read that this is true for Steller's Jays, but I'll do some more research!
Mountain Quail - Oreortyx pictus
The Mountain Quail were busy scurrying around in the underbrush one morning. Since they are mainly seed eaters, I suspect they hang out at my bird feeding station when I'm not around! They always run into the bushes whenever they see me. I've seen more Mountain Quail this winter, than I ever have before!
Quail Tracks
Tracking in the Snow
The photos above are both pictures of Mountain Quail tracks! The tracks on the left were made in several inches of wet snow. The tracks on the right were made in a 1/4" of dry, powdered snow, on the road. They look really different! In most of the track books the tracks look defined and perfect, like the track on the above right. In reality, tracks in the snow vary greatly in appearance. Tracking is actually quite complicated! Here's a list of some of the things you need to notice when trying to figure out a track:
How many toes are there?
Are any claws present?
How wide and how long are the footprints?
What is the length of one full step?
How deep is the track?
How old is the track?
Is there any scat that might identify who left the track?
Where is the track located?
As you can see, there's LOTS to learn about tracking. The internet has lots of good sources for tracking. The following website is geared toward kids, but is a great place to start,
www.adfg.alaska.gov/static/education/educators/pdfs/wild_wonders_issue2.pdf.
Sierra Buttes & Sardine Lake (frozen) 3-7-18
Lakes Basin Update
On Wednesday I went cross-country skiing up in the Lakes Basin! I skied up to Sardine Lake and beyond, and I didn't see one other person all day! It was sunny, clear, fresh, quiet and beautiful! There was about 2' of packed snow on the ground. It was so peaceful!
About 30 years ago, my dog spotted a porcupine in one of the pine trees near Sardine Lake Campground! It was so camouflaged up among the branches and pine needles, that it took me awhile to see it! Its long quills looked just like the pine needles! I really looked for porcupines while I was up there this week, but I didn't see any. Unfortunately, porcupines have become quite rare in California, possibly due to an increased use of rodenticides in the state. Here's a link to an article about them,
http://snamp.cnr.berkeley.edu/static/documents/2012/03/28/Porcupines_an_increasingly_rare_sight_in_California_forests_scientists_say.pdf If you do see a porcupine in California, please contact the California Dept of Fish and Wildlife.
Sierra Buttes afternoon clouds 3/7/18
When I skied back to my car, the sky had darkened with beautiful dense gray clouds!
It was such a contrast from the blue skies of the morning, but just as beautiful!
Bushtits - Psaltriparus minimus
Convict Flat Revisited!
I drove down to Convict Flat this week, to see if the White-leafed Manzanita was still blooming. It was, and I saw two male Anna's Hummingbirds feeding on the flowers!
I also noticed some new little birds in the bushes. They turned out to be Bushtits! I had never seen them before! They are tiny little birds, only 4.5" long including their tails! They usually live year-round in flocks of 10-40 birds. They feed on tiny insects and spiders, scale insects, caterpillars, beetles, wasps, and ants! In late February to early March, mating pairs break off from the flock to breed and build a nest. Their nests are truly incredible engineering feats! Each nest takes about 6 weeks to make! Both the male and the female Bushtits work together to make the nest out of lots of spider webs and plant material. The interior of the nest is lined with plant down, feathers, and fur! The resulting nest is stretchy and long, and it looks like a stuffed sock, with a round opening on one side near the top! The female will lay 4-10 eggs in the nest, that hatch in approximately 13 days. The whole family sleeps in the nest, until the chicks fledge, then they all sleep outside on branches! Scientists have also observed "bachelor" Bushtits, hanging around the nest site, that help feed the fledglings! Bushtits usually have two broods in one season, and they will re-use the nest they built for the first brood. Wow!
I'm am going to go searching for one of their cool nests! Hopefully, one or more will show up at Convict Flat!
Anna's Hummingbird (male) - Calypte anna
Gray Fox - Urocyon cinereoargenteus
Fox Update!
There's a new fox (above left) visiting my bird feeder these days! I'm pretty sure it's not the one I have been seeing since last Spring (above right). You can tell from the photos, that they're not the same fox. I'm hoping the one who used to "pose" for me, with the slanting eyes, will show up again soon. They're both beautiful, with their healthy fur coats! This is mating season for foxes, and we've been hearing them "bark" at night lately. I hope this summer there will be several young foxes born in our neighborhood!
Gray Fox - Urocyon cinereoargenteus
What kind of bird is this?
Are the Pussy Willows done blooming?
Are the Alder cones getting bigger?
What new birds have arrived?
What's happening down on the river?
Check back next week for the answers to these questions and more!
Your questions and comments are greatly appreciated!
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